Don’t value a society that devalues you

A society that fails to protect isn’t worth respect

Yesterday, in our neighboring sub-district, a girl committed suicide. Why? A boy who claimed to be her lover spread her face merged with another naked woman’s body, or spread her own nude photo, on social media.

Why did this girl choose suicide as the solution? Is only that boy responsible? Suicide, whatever the reason, is never the right act. Suicide is a kind of surrender and cowardice. But for a young girl like her, this moral lesson does not apply. She had not yet understood so much. She only thought: how will she show her face in society, how will her parents and relatives endure the endless gossip of people? From this realization she chose the path of self-destruction.

The criminal boy committed a grave crime by spreading her nude photo on social media. If the law enforcement of this country kindly arrests him and brings him to justice, that would be a good deed. He deserves the maximum punishment. But to me, more than that boy, this uncivilized society and its customs are responsible. Forget about spreading someone’s nude photo – even spreading any decent photo without permission on social media or anywhere else is wrong, a punishable crime. How many so-called educated and conscious people of this country even know that?

And why must someone be socially humiliated if their nude photo appears on social media? Human body parts, their appearance, their shape, what they contain – everyone knows and recognizes them. By looking at a person’s face, people imagine those things anyway. Then what harm does it cause society if those images appear on paper, video, or screen? The girl did not voluntarily give the photo. Why should society throw arrows of humiliation at her instead of punishing the one who committed the crime? In this age of technology, so much can be done. Merging someone’s face onto another body is now a trivial technology.

From childhood, boys and girls must be taught that using or spreading someone’s photo, song, poem, writing, or property without permission is a crime and unethical. If someone spreads another’s nude photo, instead of panicking one should ask: “So what?” What’s the big deal? If people see it, let them see. It is not something more valuable than life. Then steps must be taken so that the site or relevant authority removes the photo shared without permission. With proper screenshots and evidence, one must then pursue legal action against the offender. The state, society, and family must stand by the victim.

A society that says nothing to wrongdoers, that dances around corrupt bribe-takers if they donate a little, that believes men are superior, that thinks seeing women’s body parts destroys honor, that rallies behind rogue politicians with hundreds of people — such a society does not deserve much importance in personal life. Let society tie knots with broken strings. Why must one wear full pants in scorching heat? If you feel comfortable in half pants or a lungi, wear that to the market or office. If you give importance to society’s absurd customs, then society will interfere in your personal life in ways you cannot imagine.

Since the start of COVID, I have been moving around wearing a simple plastic sponge that stays outside the house. I even went to government offices for one-to-one appointments like that. I went to meet bribe-takers. Why should I wear socks and shoes, feeling uncomfortable, just to show them respect? Weak society, weak people — what they think, I don’t care! Whatever feels good for me, whatever gives me comfort, that’s what I will do — as long as it doesn’t harm anyone else.

So, as I was saying – nude photos appear on social media – so what? It is not something worth giving up one’s life for. One must be brave and “don’t care” like Sadia Jahan Prova. Rather, the offender who committed the crime must be punished.